Shohei Ohtani stepped into the batter’s box Tuesday against the Chicago Cubs, and the Tokyo Dome crowd, which had been roaring moments earlier, fell silent.
As the leadoff hitter for the Dodgers, Ohtani is loved by Japanese fans, but this game carried a different energy. After the Dodgers’ 4-1 win, he admitted to feeling something unusual — nerves.
More news: Freddie Freeman Injured, Yoshinobu Yamamoto Shines as Dodgers Win Season Opener in Tokyo Series vs Cubs
“I was actually pretty nervous,” Ohtani told Harold Reynolds of MLB Network via his interpreter Will Ireton. “It’s been a while since I was nervous, but today, definitely felt it.”
He added: “It’s just a very unique environment and unique situation where I do feel that the fans are expecting me to get some hits.”
Ohtani’s fellow countryman, Cubs starter Shota Imanaga, got the better of him early, inducing a groundout and a lineout to second base in his first two at-bats. But the crowd erupted in the fifth when Ohtani ripped a 107 mph single to right field, and they roared again in the ninth when he hooked a double down the right-field line.
“There was just so much anticipation to see anything he did,” manager Dave Roberts said earlier in the week. “Which was different than any one of our other players.”
Ohtani finished 2-for-5 with two runs scored.
On the mound, Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivered a strong performance, allowing one run on three hits over five innings while retiring the last nine batters he faced. Imanaga was impressive as well, throwing four no-hit innings, though he walked four.
The Dodgers and Cubs meet again Wednesday, with another Japanese star set to take the spotlight.
Roki Sasaki will make his MLB debut in his home country, while Justin Steele gets the start for Chicago.
The Dodgers will once again be without Mookie Betts, who went home early as he recovers from an illness. First baseman Freddie Freeman’s status is uncertain after being scratched with rib soreness before first pitch.
More news: Freddie Freeman Provides Update on Injury, Reveals Timeline to Return to Dodgers
Photo Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
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